Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) was the television network that aired Boohbah in the United States. It was given the American television rights to the show in June 2003, and most PBS stations started broadcasting the show on January 19, 2004. Boohbah was typically aired on the PBS Kids children's programming block and digital TV channel, which had previously shown two other Ragdoll programs (Tots TV and Teletubbies). Because of the country's 65-episode syndication limit, only 65 episodes (going from "Skipping Rope" to "Little Rocky Boat" instead of "Skipping Rope" to "Book" and with some episodes aired out of order) were aired, while the other 39 episodes were not seen at all. Boohbah was officially removed from the PBS Kids lineup on August 29, 2008, after PBS' rights to the show had expired; however, some stations either phased the show out prior to that date or kept it running until as late as February 1, 2009. In addition to airing on regular PBS, Boohbah also aired on PBS Kids Sprout, a cable channel that was initially co-owned by - and mainly comprised of kids' shows that were broadcast on - PBS. Because the original British format was too short to fit into a traditional American timeslot (30 minutes), a half-hour version of the show was produced; this version of the show was also broadcast on Sprout and most likely Treehouse TV. Interstitial material Idents and bumpers Two character idents and one "coming up next" bumper related to Boohbah were produced. Most of PBS Kids' character-specific idents and bumpers would end with the - or one/some of the - main characters of the imminent show appearing inside either the block/channel's logo or a blank circle, respectively; the Boohbah interstitials had Zumbah appear inside the logo/circle. Bubble Dash, one of the block/channel's mascots, blows a large bubble, which he then touches and ends up inside. The bubble floats past the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, and the Statue of Liberty before a five-color rainbow streaks into the shot, forms a swirl, and irises in to reveal the PBS Kids logo amid a cream yellow background with many purple stars twirling toward it. Although this ident was produced to precede PBS' broadcasts of ''Boohbah, it is currently unknown if it was used by any of PBS' stations. The ident can be watched here.'' Shadow Puppets Jack-in-the-Box Promos Although PBS does not air commercials in-between its programs, it does show promos for its shows, new episodes, and events. Two promos for Boohbah are known to exist: There They Are! As Dash and his sister, Dot, go into and out of several holes, all but one of the holes (and Dot) disappear and the Boohbahs appear in the remaining hole. A group of child voiceovers tell us what we (and they) can do in the world of Boohbah, like giving the Storypeople a present, hearing a story ("Yes, more than one!"), and dancing "until there's no more dancing to be done". All we have to say is the special word..."Boohbah!" Poem As clips of the Boohbahs play throughout the promo, a child voiceover recites a poem about the things they like to do: Boohbahs like to jump, Boohbahs like to bump! Boohbahs like to touch the sky, Boohbahs like to move their eyes! Boohbahs love to dance and move. Do you like to do these things, too? Then you'll love ''Boohbah!'' Website The Boohbah part of PBS Kids' website was launched in December 2003. It featured the following activities: Games * Boohbah Dance: The player can make the Boohbahs dance around and stop them to make them perform different moves. This game is extremely similar to the dancing Boohbah game on boohbah.tv. * Bubbles Bursting: This game is based on the Storyworld segment from the episode "Bubbles". The gameplay is very similar to the episode's main activity: When the bubble pump on the side of the screen blows a bubble the same color of each Boohbah out, the player must control the popper, a telescopic hand, and try popping it. * Grandpappa and the Hammock: This game is, again, based on a Storyworld segment, this time from the episode "Hammock". The player must find an object to help Grandpappa get into the hammock. * Kaleidoscope: This game is similar to a real kaleidoscope. By controlling the pink, purple, and orange levers on the sides of the kaleidoscope, the player can make different Boohbah patterns; the pink lever controls the Boohbahs' spinning, the purple lever shrinks or enlarges the Boohbahs, and the orange lever separates and connects the Boohbahs from each other. * Boohbah Naming Game: This game's purpose is to memorize the names of each Boohbah; by moving the mouse around the screen, the Boohbahs' eyes will move, and if clicked, each Boohbah will say its name, move up, and light its eyebrows up. * Squeaky Socks: This game is based on the Storyworld segment from the episode of the same title. The first part of the game is centered on coloring the sock, and if the Storyperson inside it is clicked, the sock will hop around. * Windows: By opening each window, a different Storyperson will be revealed. This game is based on the Storyworld segment from "Big Windows". * Storysheet: This game is a "create-your-own-environment" game featuring the Storypeople. * Look What I Can Do!: This game is based on the US-only segment of the same name. Similar to Boohbah Dance, the player can program the dances they want their person to do, and if they click the "play" button, their person will do the dance that they made. * Boohbah Patterns: This game allows the player to make their own pattern(s). Using the Boohball, and their mouse, they can change the color of the Boohbah(s) in their pattern, change it, or do both. * Pearly Shells: This game is based on the episode of the same name. The player must find the pearl inside each shell, and if they do, Brother and Sister will do their "victory dance". * Jumping Boohbahs: In this game, as the Boohbahs walk along the screen, the player must collect differently colored Boohballs; if they click on a Boohbah to make it jump and if it collects the right color ball, that Boohbah will say its name. * Storypeople Matching Game: On the screen, a shadow of a Storyperson will pop up, encouraging the player to match the Storyperson to its shadow and say its name. Non-flash games If an user does not have Adobe Flash, they can access a non-Flash version of the website. This version excludes every game that requires Flash to be feasible, and leaves these slightly-altered games and activities alone: * Boohbah Patterns * Windows * Storypeople Matching Game * Boohbah Coloring and Print and Color: This is a activity where the user can color and then print out their Boohbah. There is also another activity which, in the style of a coloring book, the user can color in the Boohbah after they print it out. * Storyworld Coloring and Print and Color * Boohbah Pattern and Print: Using the arrows on the Boohbah's belly, the player can make multiple patterns and then print them out. Parents and Teachers Separate from the actual website, this section of the website informs adults about Boohbah, what the website has in store, and what activities they can do with their children/students. * About the Program - This page tells the person searching the website more about the show the website is based on and how it is educational. * Behind the Scenes in Storyworld - This page features information about the making of selected Storyworld segments, pictures of the particular segments, and the crew's experience shooting each segment. Most of the text on this page can be found here; anything not present on that article will either be located here or here. * Program Description - This page tells the person roaming the website about 65 of the 104 episodes of Boohbah and also includes links to the activities related to the episode. * FAQ - This section includes "frequently asked" questions about Boohbah, the answers to each of them, and information about the show. * TV Schedule - This was a link to the main PBS Kids TV schedule, telling people where they can watch Boohbah on their local PBS station(s). * Activities - See the introduction to the Parents and Teachers area * Anne Wood Interview - This audio piece, which can also be heard on the interview bonus feature on each Boohbah DVD, tells people about how the show is educational, and is synched to an animated video illustrating each of Anne Wood's points. * Expert Q & A - Located on the main PBS Parents website, this section features questions from people visiting the Parents website and answers from Wood. * A Boohbah Party - Also located on the Parents website, this section features stuff about making a Boohbah-themed birthday party, including the food, printables, and activities. After over nine years on the web, the website was closed down in January 2013 - approximately five years after the show was dropped from many PBS affiliates and four years after it stopped airing in the United States altogether. It can, however, still be reached with the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, where both the Flash and non-Flash versions of the website are working. However, some features, such as the links to different parts of the PBS website outside of both the regular and parents Boohbah websites, cannot be reached, because they have been purged from the "Archive" by robots.txt, or robots exclusion standard. Category:Channels